ON OUR WEBSITE.
>> EVANSTON IS ONE OF CHICAGO'S
MOST POPULOUS SUBURBS.
LOCATED NORTH OF CHICAGO ALONG
THE LAKEFRONT IT'S KNOWN FOR
DINING SCENE, ARTS AND CULTURE
AND NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.
IT HAS A HISTORY OF RACIAL
SEGREGATION AND REDLINING WHICH
CITY LEADERS HOPE TO START
MAKING AMENDS FOR THROUGH A $10
MILLION REPARATIONS PROGRAM.
AS PART OF OUR "CHICAGO TONIGHT"
"IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES"
NICK BLUMBERG AND MARISSA NELSON
SPENT THE DAY REPORTING IN
EVANSTON AND NICK JOINS US NOW
WITH MORE.
NICK?
>> BRANDIS, THIS IS A PLACE
WELL-KNOWN FOR THOSE RESTAURANTS
AND OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES LIKE
EVERYWHERE THEY HAVE HAD TO MAKE
HUGE ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE OF
COVID.
ALSO IN THE PAST YEAR GETTING A
LOT OF NATIONAL ATTENTION THAT
PASSED REPARATIONS PROGRAM WHICH
WILL GIVE OUT HOUSING RELATED
FUNDS TO BLACK FAMILIES, TIES TO
EVANSTON THAT FACED RED LINING.
SOME CRITICS SAY TRUE
REPARATIONS WOULD MEAN DIRECT
CASH PAYMENTS.
THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION HERE
DOING JUST THAT.
>> CHARRISSE ROBERSON'S FAMILY
HAS BEEN IN EVANSTON A LONGTIME.
>> HER GRANT MOTHERED WAS BORN
HERE IN 1906 AND SHE KNEW SHE
WANTED TO RAID HER THREE
CHILDREN HERE.
>> IT WAS A SMALL TOWN WE KNEW
EVERYONE.
IT WAS THE BEST CHOICE.
>> ROBERSON DESIGNS AND SELLS
BOW TIES, JEWELRY.
>> I LOVE TO SEE PEOPLE IN MY
THINGS THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF IT.
YOU GET TO SEE THEM WEAR WHAT
YOU CREATED.
>> RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
ESPECIALLY DURING COVID IS TOUGH
WITHOUT THE FINANCIAL BUFFER
OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE.
>> OH, YOU SHOULD PULL YOURSELF
UP BY YOUR BOOTSTRAPS.
I DON'T HAVE BOOTSTRAPS TO PULL
ON.
>> SHE GOT HER FIRST PAYMENT
FROM UP TOGETHER WHICH IS GIVING
40 BLACK FAMILIES WITH TIES TO
EVANSTON $3,000 OVER 10 MONTHS
AS A COMPLIMENT TO THE CITY'S
HOUSING FOCUS REPARATIONS
PROGRAM.
>> FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE MONEY
GIVING SOMEBODY 200 A MONTH THAT
IS NOTHING.
IT REALLY HELPED.
MY SEWING MACHINE BROKE DOWN AND
I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO
REPAIR IT.
>> THROUGH THE AID SHE DID.
IT IS A FOCUS OF EVANSTON FIGHT
FOR BLACK LIVES WHICH HAS OPENED
THE FIRST OF FOUR PLANNED
COMMUNITY FRIDGES.
>> MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY CAN
COME AND PUT FOOD IN AND THEN
ALSO TAKE IT OUT FOR NO COST SO
THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO FOOD
AND THERE ISN'T AS MUCH FOOD
INSECURITY HERE.
>> IT STARTED LAST WE YEAR IN
THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD'S
MURDER.
>> WE ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE
RACIAL INJUSTICES THAT HAPPEN
THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY.
>> THE GROUP'S ORGANIZED MARCHS,
FUNDRAISERS AND INFORMATION
SESSIONS.
THE MAIN FOCUS IS DEFUNDING THE
EVANSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND
CREATING AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF
COMMUNITY SAFETY.
>> SO MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE SAFE BUT MAKING SURE THAT
BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE ARE NOT
BEING TRAUMATIZED AND A VARIETY
OF ROLES DEPENDING ON THE CALL
OF CRISIS THEY ARE GETTING.
IF SOMEONE IS CALLING WITH A
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IT'S
SOMEONE TRAINED AS A
PSYCHOLOGIST, AS A THERAPIST,
RESPONDING TO THAT CALL RATHER
THAN AN ARMED OFFICER.
>> EFBL WANTS TO WORK WITH
INCOMING MAYOR DANIEL BISS ON
REIMAGINING POLICING.
BISS WILL HAVE A LOT ON HIS
PLATE INCLUDING THE ECONOMIC
RECOVERY.
THE CONCERT VENUE SPACE HOSTED
250 PEOPLE FOR A DIVERSE ARRAY
OF SHOWS BUT IT'S BEEN AN EMPTY
SPACE FOR THE LAST YEAR.
>> WE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STARTED
PRESENTING LIVE STREAMING
CONCERTS FROM ARTISTS' HOMES AND
THAT WAS A GREAT WAY TO STILL
PRESENT MUSIC MOST NIGHTS OF THE
WEEK.
>> AS THE WEATHER WARMED SPACE
OFFERED CONCERTS IN PEOPLE'S
BACKYARDS AND FOR A SMALL CROWD
UNDER A TENT NEXT DOOR.
>> INCREDIBLY JOYOUS SEEING
PEOPLE EXPERIENCE MUSIC AND
SEEING MUSICIANS PERFORM FOR
PEOPLE NOT A CAMERA OR THEIR
COMPUTER THEY WILL REMEMBER IT
FOREVER.
>> SAM USELESS SAYS SPACE IS EGO
OWE SAMUELS SAY SPACE IS EAGER
TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS AND THE
RETURN OF THE OUT OF SPACE
OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES IN
AUGUST.
>> WE HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED BY
THE SUPPORT FOR SPACE AND MUSIC
VENUES IN GENERAL TO PRESERVE
THAT WEB OF VENUES THAT ARTISTS
REQUIRE TO TOUR.
>> THE OUTDOOR EVENTS WERE A
BOON TO DIANA HAMANN SHE OWNS
THE WINE GOODS, A WINE BAR.
>> AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT FOR OUR
1500 SQUARE FEET WE DO A KICKING
LINEUP OF LIVE MUSIC.
>> LAST SUMMER SHE AND
RESTAURANTS APPROACHED THE CITY
OF EVANSTON TO ASK...
>> CAN WE AT THE VERY LEAST
EVERY NIGHT CREATE A MEXICAN
RESTAURANT, A WINE BAR AND
ITALIAN RESTAURANT ON THE STREET
OUT HERE IN CUSTER AND TO THEIR
GREAT CREDIT THEY SAID GO FOR
IT.
AND WHAT DO YOU NEED?
>> THE SO-CALLED CUSTER OASIS IS
RETURNING THIS WEEK.
>> TO GIVE SOME JOY AND A BIT OF
RESPITE TO OUR FANTASTIC
CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED US
ALL SO MUCH THROUGHOUT THE
PANDEMIC.
>> THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND
RECOGNITION OF NEED CHARRISSE
ROBERSON FEELS IT, TOO.
>> THERE IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE WE
HAVE ALWAYS FELT MARGINALIZED
AND WE ARE IN A COUNTRY THAT
DOES NOT LOVE US NO MATTER WHAT
WE DO.
IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD TO HAVE
SOMEONE KNOWS AND SOMEONE FEELS
YOUR PAIN OTHER THAN YOU.
AS A COMMUNITY AS A PEOPLE.
AND THEY SEE IT AND WANT TO
HELP.
>> UP TOGETHER SAYS ITS EVANSTON
EQUITABLE RECOVERY FUND
EXHAUSTED THE MONEY IT HAD BUT
THEY ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS TO
HELP CONTINUE THEIR MISSION OF
PUTTING CASH IN PEOPLE'S HANDS